Visual design of beta last.fm

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- d3hm said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 11:34
Visual design of beta last.fm

Hi there. I like some of the new features I'm seeing. Especially the fact that artists you only played once a few months ago can be deleted easily by browsing trough the artists, shown with pictures, in your Library. The whole library thing is much cooler to browse trough.

I was only wondering. Is this a beta where it mostly comes down to the new functionality or is the design (visual/graphic design) also gonna change this much?

I kind of miss the icon/blue color to see if people are subscribers, before visiting their profile.

[quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: Hi there. I like some of the new features I'm seeing. Especially the fact that artists you only played once a few months ago can be deleted easily by browsing trough the artists, shown with pictures, in your Library. The whole library thing is much cooler to browse trough. I was only wondering. Is this a beta where it mostly comes down to the new functionality or is the design (visual/graphic design) also gonna change this much? I kind of miss the icon/blue color to see if people are subscribers, before visiting their profile.[/quote]

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- Han said...
- Staff
- 21 May 2008, 11:49
@d3hm, since everything links in blue, it's not that special anymore. How do you look in black?

You can expect a lot more updates to the visuals as well as the functionality.

[quote][b][user]Han[/user][/b] said: @d3hm, since everything links in blue, it's not that special anymore. How do you look in black? You can expect a lot more updates to the visuals as well as the functionality.[/quote]

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- d3hm said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 11:59
But if I'm not mistaken you can't see if someone will know you visited their profile before clicking on their avatar?

Also the top menu is harder to read. Dark grey on darker grey.

Other then that I love it... can't wait till this new version is up and running for everyone! :)

[quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: But if I'm not mistaken you can't see if someone will know you visited their profile before clicking on their avatar? Also the top menu is harder to read. Dark grey on darker grey. Other then that I love it... can't wait till this new version is up and running for everyone! :)[/quote]

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- StudleyUK said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:00
I'm still going through the new site gradually, but I'm loving what I'm seeing so far. I was worried that it might be an update-for-updates-sake, like the forthcoming Facebook design changes, but this is a genuine and brilliant improvement.

Too many highlights to mention... Personally I'm delighted to see that you can choose Yes/No/Maybe for whether you're attending an event. And the ability to create multiple playlists is a HUGE feature, worth the subscription cost alone.

You mentioned there are visual changes to come yet, but here's my $0.02: I think you're underplaying the last.fm logo too much - it's barely visible at all. Also, grey on grey is really not a good colour for the header bar ;)

[quote][b][user]StudleyUK[/user][/b] said: I'm still going through the new site gradually, but I'm loving what I'm seeing so far. I was worried that it might be an update-for-updates-sake, like the forthcoming Facebook design changes, but this is a genuine and brilliant improvement. Too many highlights to mention... Personally I'm delighted to see that you can choose Yes/No/Maybe for whether you're attending an event. And the ability to create multiple playlists is a HUGE feature, worth the subscription cost alone. You mentioned there are visual changes to come yet, but here's my $0.02: I think you're underplaying the last.fm logo too much - it's barely visible at all. Also, grey on grey is really not a good colour for the header bar ;)[/quote]

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- StudleyUK said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:02
d3hm said:
But if I'm not mistaken you can't see if someone will know you visited their profile before clicking on their avatar?

Agreed - and, generally, I think it's nice that subscribers (and Last.fm staff!) get "singled out" for their awesomeness.

Maybe you could overlay the subscriber icon, or some sort of new symbol, over the avatar picture - similar to how you have Delete/Play icons on the artist pictures in the Library.

[quote][b][user]StudleyUK[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: But if I'm not mistaken you can't see if someone will know you visited their profile before clicking on their avatar?[/quote] Agreed - and, generally, I think it's nice that subscribers (and Last.fm staff!) get "singled out" for their awesomeness. Maybe you could overlay the subscriber icon, or some sort of new symbol, over the avatar picture - similar to how you have Delete/Play icons on the artist pictures in the Library. [/quote]

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- SuCCeR said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:04
The new functions are cool so far. Especially the library... awesome.

But the new Design... is different :D so far I like the old one more but maybe I just have to get used to it! But the "About Me" space should really be on the side again imo.

Fight against my Brute!

[quote][b][user]SuCCeR[/user][/b] said: The new functions are cool so far. Especially the library... awesome. But the new Design... is different :D so far I like the old one more but maybe I just have to get used to it! But the "About Me" space should really be on the side again imo.[/quote]

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- jwheare said...
- Moderator
- 21 May 2008, 12:14
The links are grey in the header because those pages aren't done yet. Going to them will just give you a holding page.

[quote][b][user]jwheare[/user][/b] said: The links are grey in the header because those pages aren't done yet. Going to them will just give you a holding page.[/quote]

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- Justyware said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:20
The artists we delete from out library will they come straight off out charts?
or will all changes made be lost once the new site goes live?

And if you ever need self-validation
Just meet me in the alley by the
Railway station
It's all over my face
Oh ...

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

[quote][b][user]Justyware[/user][/b] said: The artists we delete from out library will they come straight off out charts? or will all changes made be lost once the new site goes live?[/quote]

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- trovster said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:23
StudleyUK said:
d3hm said:
But if I'm not mistaken you can't see if someone will know you visited their profile before clicking on their avatar?

Agreed - and, generally, I think it's nice that subscribers (and Last.fm staff!) get "singled out" for their awesomeness.

This confused me, but I've worked out what they're doing. On hover of the avatart - the border relates to your status (user, subscriber, staff). Not obvious at all.

trovster runs www.trovster.com, is a Multipack member, loves the t-shirts at Threadless.com and is obsessively addicted to Last.fm!

[quote][b][user]trovster[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]StudleyUK[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: But if I'm not mistaken you can't see if someone will know you visited their profile before clicking on their avatar?[/quote] Agreed - and, generally, I think it's nice that subscribers (and Last.fm staff!) get "singled out" for their awesomeness.[/quote] This confused me, but I've worked out what they're doing. On hover of the avatart - the border relates to your status (user, subscriber, staff). Not obvious at all.[/quote]

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- trovster said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:32
My initial reaction to the design was 'I hate it'. Absolutely. The existing site is infinitely better - the visual repetition creates the site branding, and this seems to have been completely lost on the new site.

However, I decided to give the site design a chance and browser around. Aside from the major visual differences, the interaction and details seem very unpolished. I am extremely disappointed with the visuals for the new site - hopefully this will improve vastly before the launch.

Features wise - brilliant. The multiple playlist are just what I've been waiting for. The Activity Feed is very 'facebook' but a good features/addition to have. And I'm sure there are other good features too, but I can't get passed the design.

trovster runs www.trovster.com, is a Multipack member, loves the t-shirts at Threadless.com and is obsessively addicted to Last.fm!

[quote][b][user]trovster[/user][/b] said: My initial reaction to the design was 'I hate it'. Absolutely. The existing site is infinitely better - the visual repetition creates the site branding, and this seems to have been completely lost on the new site. However, I decided to give the site design a chance and browser around. Aside from the major visual differences, the interaction and details seem [b]very[/b] unpolished. I am extremely disappointed with the visuals for the new site - hopefully this will improve vastly before the launch. Features wise - brilliant. The multiple playlist are just what I've been waiting for. The Activity Feed is very 'facebook' but a good features/addition to have. And I'm sure there are other good features too, but I can't get passed the design.[/quote]

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- lozzd said...
- Staff
- 21 May 2008, 12:34
d3hm said:
Also the top menu is harder to read. Dark grey on darker grey.

Heh, I knew this would confuse a lot of people. So it's dark grey because it's "greyed out"... Those pages aren't ready yet. When they're ready, they'll be white, like your Profile and Home buttons. :)

edit: whoops, I didn't notice the reply further up, heh, skim reading for the lose :(

Want a fully customisable sig (like above?) CLICK HERE!
Insert disclaimer here.

[quote][b][user]lozzd[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: Also the top menu is harder to read. Dark grey on darker grey.[/quote] Heh, I knew this would confuse a lot of people. So it's dark grey because it's "greyed out"... Those pages aren't ready yet. When they're ready, they'll be white, like your Profile and Home buttons. :) edit: whoops, I didn't notice the reply further up, heh, skim reading for the lose :( [/quote]
Edited by lozzd on 21 May 2008, 12:42

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- d3hm said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:39
lozzd said:
d3hm said:
Also the top menu is harder to read. Dark grey on darker grey.

Heh, I knew this would confuse a lot of people. So it's dark grey because it's "greyed out"... Those pages aren't ready yet. When they're ready, they'll be white, like your Profile and Home buttons. :)

I didn't think the links were greyed out because they worked. ;)

[quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]lozzd[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]d3hm[/user][/b] said: Also the top menu is harder to read. Dark grey on darker grey.[/quote] Heh, I knew this would confuse a lot of people. So it's dark grey because it's "greyed out"... Those pages aren't ready yet. When they're ready, they'll be white, like your Profile and Home buttons. :) [/quote] I didn't think the links were greyed out because they worked. ;)[/quote]

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- SuCCeR said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 12:40
I'd love it if you'd have the possibility to move the single Objects around so you can choose if you want to have the top artist on top or the playlists...
Should be technically possible huh?

And the real time charts are just awesome! You really can watch the Artist you are listening to climbin' up the charts :top:

Fight against my Brute!

[quote][b][user]SuCCeR[/user][/b] said: I'd love it if you'd have the possibility to move the single Objects around so you can choose if you want to have the top artist on top or the playlists... Should be technically possible huh? And the real time charts are just awesome! You really can watch the Artist you are listening to climbin' up the charts :top:[/quote]

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- DFA1979 said...
- Moderator
- 21 May 2008, 12:51
SuCCeR said:
I'd love it if you'd have the possibility to move the single Objects around so you can choose if you want to have the top artist on top or the playlists...
Should be technically possible huh?

I'd agree with that, I'd much rather have 'top artists' (or maybe 'library' actually) immediately below my recently played, rather than the 'about me'.

[quote][b][user]DFA1979[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]SuCCeR[/user][/b] said: I'd love it if you'd have the possibility to move the single Objects around so you can choose if you want to have the top artist on top or the playlists... Should be technically possible huh?[/quote] I'd agree with that, I'd much rather have 'top artists' (or maybe 'library' actually) immediately below my recently played, rather than the 'about me'. [/quote]

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- SuCCeR said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 13:03
There is an element on the library site which is hidden to the half..

AND: All the changes we do now on the beta site (love tracks, delete them and so on) will they be gone when the beta-phase is over or will everything be saved?

Fight against my Brute!

[quote][b][user]SuCCeR[/user][/b] said: There is an element on the library site which is hidden to the half.. [img]http://www4.picfront.org/picture/gSD4hKS17t/img/Picture.jpg[/img] AND: All the changes we do now on the beta site (love tracks, delete them and so on) will they be gone when the beta-phase is over or will everything be saved?[/quote]

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- mausmaus said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 13:20
I really like the design overall - better than the current one! (obviously it's not perfect and complete yet, but I like the style.)

the navigation (with the left hand vertical menu serving as submenu) was a little confusing for the first 30 seconds :).

something I found absolutely useless: the big checkmark and the ok button that appears after a successful action (like having created a playlist or added an artist to your library). come on, I don't need an "OK" button, I'm no windows user =) .

[quote][b][user]mausmaus[/user][/b] said: I really like the design overall - better than the current one! (obviously it's not perfect and complete yet, but I like the style.) the navigation (with the left hand vertical menu serving as submenu) was a little confusing for the first 30 seconds :). something I found absolutely useless: the big checkmark and the ok button that appears after a successful action (like having created a playlist or added an artist to your library). come on, I don't need an "OK" button, I'm no windows user =) .[/quote]

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- StudleyUK said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 13:25
Is it just me, or have usernames disappeared from the first bunch of replies in this topic? It just says "said..." instead.

[quote][b][user]StudleyUK[/user][/b] said: Is it just me, or have usernames disappeared from the first bunch of replies in this topic? It just says "said..." instead.[/quote]

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- Toffolo said...
- User
- 21 May 2008, 13:28
trovster said:
My initial reaction to the design was 'I hate it'. Absolutely. The existing site is infinitely better - the visual repetition creates the site branding, and this seems to have been completely lost on the new site.

I agree to that. When I see the current site I know: "This is last.fm". When I see the beta site it could be anything.

[quote][b][user]Toffolo[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]trovster[/user][/b] said: My initial reaction to the design was 'I hate it'. Absolutely. The existing site is infinitely better - the visual repetition creates the site branding, and this seems to have been completely lost on the new site. [/quote] I agree to that. When I see the current site I know: "This is last.fm". When I see the beta site it could be anything.[/quote]

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- por said...
- Staff
- 21 May 2008, 13:29
StudleyUK said:
Is it just me, or have usernames disappeared from the first bunch of replies in this topic? It just says "said..." instead.

Caching issue here, fixed! :)

[quote][b][user]por[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]StudleyUK[/user][/b] said: Is it just me, or have usernames disappeared from the first bunch of replies in this topic? It just says "said..." instead.[/quote] Caching issue here, fixed! :) [/quote]

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- StudleyUK said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 13:30
Toffolo said:
trovster said:
My initial reaction to the design was 'I hate it'. Absolutely. The existing site is infinitely better - the visual repetition creates the site branding, and this seems to have been completely lost on the new site.

I agree to that. When I see the current site I know: "This is last.fm". When I see the beta site it could be anything.

It's definitely different, but I don't agree that different = bad. Given time, you'll surely get used to the new norm.

I agree with your points about the loss of branding though - the logo's been pushed out of the way a bit, and there's a lack of consistency between pages - but these are the sort of things which a beta should flag up!

[quote][b][user]StudleyUK[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]Toffolo[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]trovster[/user][/b] said: My initial reaction to the design was 'I hate it'. Absolutely. The existing site is infinitely better - the visual repetition creates the site branding, and this seems to have been completely lost on the new site. [/quote] I agree to that. When I see the current site I know: "This is last.fm". When I see the beta site it could be anything.[/quote] It's definitely different, but I don't agree that different = bad. Given time, you'll surely get used to the new norm. I agree with your points about the loss of branding though - the logo's been pushed out of the way a bit, and there's a lack of consistency between pages - but these are the sort of things which a beta should flag up![/quote]
Edited by StudleyUK on 21 May 2008, 13:33

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- inhumanus_deus said...
- User
- 21 May 2008, 13:33
I have to admit I was shocked when I saw the new design, it's completely different! I'm not sure if I like it. The current site is unique and the new design could be mistaken for another website.

I agree that we need a different icon for Subscribers. Now there's no way to tell who is or not.

The best improvement is the Library. :)

"Iam facit ipse deos mittitque ad sidera numen."

[quote][b][user]inhumanus_deus[/user][/b] said: I have to admit I was shocked when I saw the new design, it's completely different! I'm not sure if I like it. The current site is unique and the new design could be mistaken for another website. I agree that we need a different icon for Subscribers. Now there's no way to tell who is or not. The best improvement is the Library. :)[/quote]

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- Han said...
- Staff
- 21 May 2008, 13:41
@d3hm and @trovster
You can see if the user is a subscriber or not by hovering over their icon. Don't worry, we've got an overlay treatment for the avatars that will be rolled out in the next few days.

@StudleyUK
The logo is pretty small right now because of the word 'beta' in there ;-) we'll definitely be doing a lot regarding branding in the short and long term over here.

@SuCCeR
Thanks for the screencap. Which browser are you using?

[quote][b][user]Han[/user][/b] said: @d3hm and @trovster You can see if the user is a subscriber or not by hovering over their icon. Don't worry, we've got an overlay treatment for the avatars that will be rolled out in the next few days. @StudleyUK The logo is pretty small right now because of the word 'beta' in there ;-) we'll definitely be doing a lot regarding branding in the short and long term over here. @SuCCeR Thanks for the screencap. Which browser are you using?[/quote]

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- kepano said...
- User
- 21 May 2008, 13:46
Good to see you guys hard at work. That said the design seems far from complete. At the moment most of the content seems to be floating off the page. There needs to be clearer visual cues to lead the eye from one element to the next – perhaps stronger colors. The way things are now, all this useful information seems jumbled together.

I'm using a widescreen monitor at 1680 pixels in width. I always enjoyed the fact that the old version took full use of this space. Currently the beta seems tighter than necessary. A fluid layout would be an improvement.

Functionality-wise, I love the idea of the library. I'm sure you guys have plenty of ideas for it, so I'll be looking forward to that. What I can say for now is that it doesn't seem quite as useful as it could be. I personally couldn't care less what these artists look like, it's what they sound like that's important! The gallery-style display doesn't really do it for me (unless they were album covers, perhaps), a more textual approach seems more useful. A simple 'spreadsheet' style seems like it would be effective, allowing you to order the list in different ways. It would also be interesting to be able to quickly listen to my personal top-played tracks for each artist within the library interface.

[quote][b][user]kepano[/user][/b] said: Good to see you guys hard at work. That said the design seems far from complete. At the moment most of the content seems to be floating off the page. There needs to be clearer visual cues to lead the eye from one element to the next – perhaps stronger colors. The way things are now, all this useful information seems jumbled together. I'm using a widescreen monitor at 1680 pixels in width. I always enjoyed the fact that the old version took full use of this space. Currently the beta seems tighter than necessary. A fluid layout would be an improvement. Functionality-wise, I love the idea of the library. I'm sure you guys have plenty of ideas for it, so I'll be looking forward to that. What I can say for now is that it doesn't seem quite as useful as it could be. I personally couldn't care less what these artists [b]look[/b] like, it's what they [b]sound[/b] like that's important! The gallery-style display doesn't really do it for me (unless they were album covers, perhaps), a more textual approach seems more useful. A simple 'spreadsheet' style seems like it would be effective, allowing you to order the list in different ways. It would also be interesting to be able to quickly listen to my personal top-played tracks for each artist within the library interface.[/quote]

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- maccamania said...
- User
- 21 May 2008, 13:51
I like the new design, but there are some things that I unlike:

- in Profile, the word "Subscriber" near the nickname;
- in Charts the avatar is too little;
- in Profile there isn't the number of users who's attending an event.

These are only some details, the new site is very nice: great work, thanks! :)

p.s. excuse for my bad english, I'm Italian! ;)

edit: 2 more things:

- in Account Setting the vertical scrollbar for "About you" and "Forum Signature" is lack;
- texarea for post editing in forums is very very small.

:)

...anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried...
my weblog - my MySpace - my Facebook - my aNobii - Infouma.net

[quote][b][user]maccamania[/user][/b] said: I like the new design, but there are some things that I unlike: - in Profile, the word "Subscriber" near the nickname; - in Charts the avatar is too little; - in Profile there isn't the number of users who's attending an event. These are only some details, the new site is very nice: great work, thanks! :) p.s. excuse for my bad english, I'm Italian! ;) edit: 2 more things: - in Account Setting the vertical scrollbar for "About you" and "Forum Signature" is lack; - texarea for post editing in forums is very very small. :)[/quote]

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- SuCCeR said...
- Subscriber
- 21 May 2008, 14:09
hannahdonovan said:

@SuCCeR
Thanks for the screencap. Which browser are you using?

I'm using Firefox 3 RC1

Fight against my Brute!

[quote][b][user]SuCCeR[/user][/b] said: [quote][b][user]hannahdonovan[/user][/b] said: @SuCCeR Thanks for the screencap. Which browser are you using?[/quote] I'm using Firefox 3 RC1[/quote]

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